US Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Friday turned over his long-awaited final report on the contentious Russia investigation that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency, entangled Trump's family and resulted in criminal charges against some of the president's closest associates.

The comprehensive report, still confidential, marks the end of Mueller's probe but sets the stage for big public fights to come.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says the next steps are up to Attorney General William Barr, to Congress and, in all likelihood, federal courts.

Barr is "going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

With no details released at this point, it's not known whether Mueller's report answers the core questions of his investigation: Did Trump's campaign collude with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of the celebrity businessman? Also, did Trump take steps later, including by firing his FBI director, to obstruct the probe?

But Tucker says the delivery of the report does mean the investigation has concluded without any public charges of a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Russia, or of obstruction by the president.

Mueller is not recommending any further indictments in the Russia probe, a Justice Department official confirmed Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

1. Wide shot of the White House as the sun sets

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - June 2013

2. STILL photo of Robert Mueller at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Special Counsel Robert Mueller today concluded his nearly two year long investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He delivered a confidential report to the Justice Department this afternoon and Attorney General William Barr says he will report back to Congress as soon as this weekend about a summary of the findings of that report."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

McLean, Virginia - 19 March 2019

4. Attorney General William Barr leaving his house for work

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The attorney general is going to review this report and we know from Justice Department officials it's a comprehensive report. He's going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 19 March 2019

6. Exterior shots of the Justice Department

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Attorney General Barr has committed to releasing information as well to the public so the information he delivers to congressional officials we expect to also be released to the public."

8. Letter from Attorney General William Barr to members of Congress

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The other thing that we know that's really important that I want to point out is that the special counsel is not recommending any additional indictments. There have been lots of speculation about other people who might be in trouble or scrutinized, members of the president's family, all sorts of different speculation, and apparently the special counsel says none of that is happening. He's not recommending any additional charges from his office."

POOL

Palm Beach, Florida - 22 March 2019

10. Donald Trump walks off Air Force One after landing in Palm Beach

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We're not clear what's in the report so it's hard to say how this bodes for the central mandate of the Special Counsel in terms of whether he's found allegations of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. But again, it's important to note this investigation is concluding without any criminal charges along those lines. So there are no criminal charges against the president or anybody else from his campaign alleging a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government."

POOL

Fletcher, North Carolina, US - 21 October 2016

12. Donald Trump walks into rally during 2016 presidential campaign

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We'll have to see what the actual findings are. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been reluctant to sort of talk about impeachment proceedings. She said the president's not worth it. So it strikes me that it would require something that's really damning and incriminating for the president that's in the report for Democrats to take any sort of organized impeachment action."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

14. US President Donald Trump walks on White House South Lawn to talk to press before departing to Florida

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday turned over his long-awaited final report on the contentious Russia investigation that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency, entangled Trump's family and resulted in criminal charges against some of the president's closest associates.

The comprehensive report, still confidential, marks the end of Mueller's probe but sets the stage for big public fights to come.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says the next steps are up to Attorney General William Barr, to Congress and, in all likelihood, federal courts.

Barr is "going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

With no details released at this point, it's not known whether Mueller's report answers the core questions of his investigation: Did Trump's campaign collude with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of the celebrity businessman? Also, did Trump take steps later, including by firing his FBI director, to obstruct the probe?

But Tucker says the delivery of the report does mean the investigation has concluded without any public charges of a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Russia, or of obstruction by the president.

Mueller is not recommending any further indictments in the Russia probe, a Justice Department official confirmed Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

1. Wide shot of the White House as the sun sets

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - June 2013

2. STILL photo of Robert Mueller at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Special Counsel Robert Mueller today concluded his nearly two year long investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He delivered a confidential report to the Justice Department this afternoon and Attorney General William Barr says he will report back to Congress as soon as this weekend about a summary of the findings of that report."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

McLean, Virginia - 19 March 2019

4. Attorney General William Barr leaving his house for work

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The attorney general is going to review this report and we know from Justice Department officials it's a comprehensive report. He's going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 19 March 2019

6. Exterior shots of the Justice Department

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Attorney General Barr has committed to releasing information as well to the public so the information he delivers to congressional officials we expect to also be released to the public."

8. Letter from Attorney General William Barr to members of Congress

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The other thing that we know that's really important that I want to point out is that the special counsel is not recommending any additional indictments. There have been lots of speculation about other people who might be in trouble or scrutinized, members of the president's family, all sorts of different speculation, and apparently the special counsel says none of that is happening. He's not recommending any additional charges from his office."

POOL

Palm Beach, Florida - 22 March 2019

10. Donald Trump walks off Air Force One after landing in Palm Beach

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We're not clear what's in the report so it's hard to say how this bodes for the central mandate of the Special Counsel in terms of whether he's found allegations of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. But again, it's important to note this investigation is concluding without any criminal charges along those lines. So there are no criminal charges against the president or anybody else from his campaign alleging a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government."

POOL

Fletcher, North Carolina, US - 21 October 2016

12. Donald Trump walks into rally during 2016 presidential campaign

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We'll have to see what the actual findings are. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been reluctant to sort of talk about impeachment proceedings. She said the president's not worth it. So it strikes me that it would require something that's really damning and incriminating for the president that's in the report for Democrats to take any sort of organized impeachment action."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

14. President Donald Trump walks on White House South Lawn to talk to press before departing to Florida

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday turned over his long-awaited final report on the contentious Russia investigation that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency, entangled Trump's family and resulted in criminal charges against some of the president's closest associates.

The comprehensive report, still confidential, marks the end of Mueller's probe but sets the stage for big public fights to come.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says the next steps are up to Attorney General William Barr, to Congress and, in all likelihood, federal courts.

Barr is "going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

With no details released at this point, it's not known whether Mueller's report answers the core questions of his investigation: Did Trump's campaign collude with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of the celebrity businessman? Also, did Trump take steps later, including by firing his FBI director, to obstruct the probe?

But Tucker says the delivery of the report does mean the investigation has concluded without any public charges of a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Russia, or of obstruction by the president.

Mueller is not recommending any further indictments in the Russia probe, a Justice Department official confirmed Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

1. Wide shot of the White House as the sun sets

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - June 2013

2. STILL photo of Robert Mueller at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Special Counsel Robert Mueller today concluded his nearly two year long investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He delivered a confidential report to the Justice Department this afternoon and Attorney General William Barr says he will report back to Congress as soon as this weekend about a summary of the findings of that report."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

McLean, Virginia - 19 March 2019

4. Attorney General William Barr leaving his house for work

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The attorney general is going to review this report and we know from Justice Department officials it's a comprehensive report. He's going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 19 March 2019

6. Exterior shots of the Justice Department

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Attorney General Barr has committed to releasing information as well to the public so the information he delivers to congressional officials we expect to also be released to the public."

8. Letter from Attorney General William Barr to members of Congress

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The other thing that we know that's really important that I want to point out is that the special counsel is not recommending any additional indictments. There have been lots of speculation about other people who might be in trouble or scrutinized, members of the president's family, all sorts of different speculation, and apparently the special counsel says none of that is happening. He's not recommending any additional charges from his office."

POOL

Palm Beach, Florida - 22 March 2019

10. Donald Trump walks off Air Force One after landing in Palm Beach

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We're not clear what's in the report so it's hard to say how this bodes for the central mandate of the Special Counsel in terms of whether he's found allegations of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. But again, it's important to note this investigation is concluding without any criminal charges along those lines. So there are no criminal charges against the president or anybody else from his campaign alleging a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government."

POOL

Fletcher, North Carolina, US - 21 October 2016

12. Donald Trump walks into rally during 2016 presidential campaign

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We'll have to see what the actual findings are. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been reluctant to sort of talk about impeachment proceedings. She said the president's not worth it. So it strikes me that it would require something that's really damning and incriminating for the president that's in the report for Democrats to take any sort of organized impeachment action."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

14. President Donald Trump walks on White House South Lawn to talk to press before departing to Florida

President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, admitted Thursday he had lied to Congress about a Moscow real estate deal he had pursued on Trump's behalf during the heat of the 2016 presidential campaign.

The guilty plea makes clear that prosecutors believe that Trump, who insisted repeatedly throughout the campaign that he had no business dealings in Russia, was continuing to pursue the project weeks after he had clinched the Republican nomination for president and well after he or his associates have publicly acknowledged.

The negotiations about building a Trump Tower in Moscow continued as late as June 2016 - the same month Trump's oldest son met in Manhattan with a Kremlin-connected lawyer - even though Cohen told two congressional committees last year that they ended that January.

"Cohen lied about the extent of his conversations not only with people in the Trump Organization about this deal, but that they went on a lot longer further into the campaign than we previously knew," explains AP reporter Chad Day.

Cohen also discussed the proposal with Trump on multiple occasions and with unidentified members of the president's family, according to court papers filed by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the presidential election and possible coordination with the Trump campaign.

Prosecutors say Cohen is cooperating with Mueller and has met with his team seven times.

"What this shows is that he has been providing a significant amount of information to their investigation, that they do consider it to be material to what they're investigating and pursuing. And so I think that we're just scratching the surface right now about what Michael Cohen may have told them," Day says.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 29 November 2018

1. Michael Cohen and his attorney walk down steps of courthouse after guilty plea

ELIZABETH WILLIAMS - MUST CREDIT ELIZABETH WILLIAMS

New York - 29 November 2018

2. Sketch of Michael Cohen sitting in court

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 29 November 2018

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"What happened today is that Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former fixer and longtime attorney, appeared in a courtroom in New York and pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the extent of a Russia, a deal that the president's company, the Trump organization, was planning to do to build a Trump Tower Moscow during the 2016 presidential campaign."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 29 November 2018

4. Michael Cohen and his attorney walk down steps of courthouse after guilty plea

POOL

Fletcher, North Carolina - 21 October 2016

5. Donald Trump walks into campaign rally

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 29 November 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"Cohen lied about the extent of his conversations not only with people in the Trump Organization about this deal, but that they went on a lot longer further into the campaign than we previously knew. He also, what we learned from the court papers is that he actually personally discussed this deal with the president, who was then a candidate at the time and also briefed his family members about it. So what we're getting from these new court documents is a much more vivid picture of how far along this deal went and who knew about the deal while they were also doing, you know carrying out the presidential campaign."

7. President Donald Trump walks out to talk to reporters before leaving for Argentina

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 21 September 2018

8. Michael Cohen walks out of court with his lawyer

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 29 November 2018

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"The president is acknowledging that this was a deal and we've known that there was a deal. Michael Cohen disclosed that this deal existed and that there were talks about this building that would go, that would be built in Russia. But the new part of this is that the president's personal involvement in it and how much he knew and when. And also, you know if we're looking at kind of going forward that Michael Cohen has cooperated extensively with the special counsel investigation. One big issue now for the president is that he recently provided written statements to questions about his interactions with Russia, his campaign's interaction with Russia that could have touched on this subject. We don't know for sure but if there's any inconsistency between what Mueller says is true in these court papers based on their evidence and what the president says that could be a problem for him."

10. President Trump walks away from talking to press, waits for First Lady Melania Trump on South Lawn

11 . SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"What we knew about Michael Cohen before is that he had pleaded guilty to a number of different crimes including campaign finance violations related to hush money payments that have been paid on the president's behalf to former Playboy model and also Stormy Daniels, a porn star. And so this is now kind of connecting that Cohen case which previously didn't have a Russia connection to the special counsel's investigation. And so what this shows is that he has been providing a significant amount of information to their investigation, that they do consider it to be material to what they're investigating and pursuing. And so I think that we're just scratching the surface right now about what Michael Cohen may have told them."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 2 July 2018

11. Michael Cohen walking down the street in New York

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 29 November 2018

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"It's really hard to tell now kind of where this goes. What, what we're able to see is that this is a very active part of their investigation, that you know, it's not just about Paul Manafort and his business deals. It's not just about Michael Flynn and lies that he may have told or that he did tell during, about his interactions with Russia. That there is a very active investigation, a criminal investigation into whether or not there was contact between Trump associates and Russians during the 2016 campaign. And while this doesn't have anything directly to do with collusion or any question of that, this does show that someone who was a high placed official at the Trump organization, very close to the president, was discussing a business deal with even officials in the Kremlin during the time where the president was you know, leading a very public campaign for office."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 29 November 2018

13. Michael Cohen and his attorney walk down steps of courthouse after guilty plea and toward press

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 23 May 2017

14. Paul Manafort, gets out of car and walks into US District courthouse

POOL

Washington, DC - 20 January, 2017

15. Michael Flynn arrives at inauguration

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - July 2018

16. Trump Tower exteriors

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 30 May, 2018

17. Michael Cohen walks toward courthouse

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cleveland, Ohio - 21 July 2016

18. Paul Manafort with President Donald Trump at the RNC rehearsal

President Donald Trump has provided the special counsel's office with written answers to questions about his knowledge of Russian interference in the 2016 election, his lawyers said Tuesday, marking the first time Trump has directly cooperated with the investigation.

The step is a milestone in a months-long negotiation between Trump's attorneys and special counsel Robert Mueller's team over whether and when the president would sit for an interview, representing the first time the president is known to have described to investigators his knowledge of key moments under scrutiny by prosecutors.

If Mueller finds the answers satisfactory, the responses may also help stave off a potential subpoena fight over Trump's testimony.

The compromise outcome, nearly a year in the making, offers some benefit to both sides. Trump avoids, at least for now, a potentially risky and unpredictable sit-down with prosecutors, while Mueller secures a set of on-the-record statements whose accuracy the president and his lawyers will be expected to stand by for the duration of the investigation.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker says someone very close to the president could become ensnared in Mueller's probe.

"We expect that there are going to be more indictments," Tucker said. "There's a lot of speculation and buzz in Washington as to who might be next up. We know that there's concern within the White House about President Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr."

POOL

Washington - 20 November 2018

1. President Donald Trump greets White House visitors

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 20 November 2018

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

++partially covered with b-roll++

"Today, we have learned that President Donald Trump and his lawyers have turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller written answers to questions about Russian election interference and questions that are related to the topic of whether the campaign colluded with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 U.S. presidential election."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 21 August 2013

3. STILL of Robert Mueller speaking during an interview at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 20 November 2018

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4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

"And so, we can imagine and infer that Mueller wants to understand to what extent did Trump know about the Russian hacking of Democratic emails, to what extent did Trump have any knowledge that his son was going to be attending a meeting at Trump Tower with a Kremlin-connected lawyer. Those are all questions that cut to the heart of the collusion question that Mueller is trying to answer."

POOL

Washington - 20 November 2018

5. Trump and his family walk outside at the White House

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 20 November 2018

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

++partially covered with b-roll++

"We expect that there are going to be more indictments. There's a lot of speculation and buzz in Washington as to who might be next up. We know that there's concern within the White House about President Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr. He, of course, attended and helped organize the Trump Tower meeting, which is very significant, because he took that meeting with the expectation of receiving dirt on Hillary Clinton, his father's opponent. We have no indication that he's in legal jeopardy, but we do know that the White House is concerned about that."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sun City, Arizona - 1 November 2018

7. STILL of Donald Trump Jr. speaking at a campaign rally for a U.S. Senate candidate

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 20 November 2018

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

++fully covered with b-roll++

"The main question that now arises is whether special counsel Mueller would seek a subpoena of President Trump for his testimony in a criminal investigation ... and it is possible that Mueller will receive these answers from Trump and want additional information on the collusion question specifically and say he's not satisfied. If that were to happen, it is possible that he might seek a subpoena and try to get Justice Department approval for that."

POOL

Washington - 20 November 2018

9. Trump walks toward and boards the Marine One helicopter

Special counsel Robert Mueller has informed President Donald Trump's attorneys that the president is not currently considered a criminal target in the Russia investigation, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

The person, who was not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations and demanded anonymity, said the president is considered a subject of Mueller's probe - not a target. A subject is typically someone whose conduct is of interest to investigators but prosecutors are not certain they've gathered enough evidence to bring charges.

The designation could change at any time, though. The development was first reported by The Washington Post.

Trump's designation as a subject came up as prosecutors and the president's legal team have been negotiating the terms of an interview with him. The president has said he wants to speak with Mueller's team, but his lawyers have not publicly committed to allowing him to be questioned.

Trump attorney Jay Sekulow declined to confirm or discuss the conversations with Mueller.

White House lawyer Ty Cobb also declined to comment.

Mueller's team has signaled that they're interested in discussing several key episodes in the early parts of the Trump administration as they probe possible obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors have told the legal team they want to question Trump about the firings of former FBI Director James Comey and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Investigators want to discuss conversations Trump had with Comey in which the former FBI director has said the president encouraged him to end an active investigation into Flynn. They're also interested in the events leading up to Flynn's February 2017 firing.

Investigators have said they want to hear from the president to understand his intent and thinking during those events.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 3 April 2018

1. US President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So we have learned that President Donald Trump's lawyers have been told that he is considered a subject in the Russia investigation but not a target and not a witness."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 3 April 2018

3. US President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So let's start with a witness. So a witness would be somebody who walks outside and sees two cars collide and had no role in that collision but sees it and investigators want to speak to him about that. A subject is somebody whose contact is of interest to the investigation but not somebody who is in jeopardy of facing imminent criminal prosecution. So they want to talk to them, they want to understand what he or she saw, knew. But they're basically not saying that they're somebody who they're interested in prosecuting the moment. A target is in the worst position to be. That is basically somebody where the Justice Department says we have reason to think that there's criminal conduct that potentially you might have been involved in and we're interested in moving forward in the case."

POOL

Washington - 27 March 2007

4x3

5. Various Robert Mueller testifying before Congress

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"What we don't know is whether Muller believes that the facts aren't there at the moment to support any sort of criminal prosecution or we don't know if Mueller has concluded, based on a Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion, that he cannot indict a sitting president and so that's why Trump is not a target. That's a question that's undetermined at the moment."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Beijing - 30 January 2008

4x3

7. Mueller at news conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So somebody can go into a grand jury who is a subject and leave as a target. That happens infrequently. Sometimes targets are investigated for weeks and months and then ultimately told we're not going to move forward. So actually, none of this is set in stone and none of it by itself carries tremendous significance. It's not like you can hold the government to account to say, 'hey you told my client that he was just a subject how could you charge him? Subjects are charged all the time. Targets are not charge all the time. Those things happen."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 3 April 2018

9. Trump at news conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

10. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which the president who, you know, had a presidential campaign that has been under investigation for a long time now by the special counsel, that he wouldn't be a subject. And given the actions that he's taken as president, it seems logical that if there's going to be investigation, you want to sort of understand the president's role in the matters that you're investigating. So it's hard to imagine any other scenario in which he'd be a subject. That seems logical frankly."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 3 April 2018

11. Trump at news conference

Special counsel Robert Mueller has informed President Donald Trump's attorneys that the president is not currently considered a criminal target in the Russia investigation, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

The person, who was not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations and demanded anonymity, said the president is considered a subject of Mueller's probe - not a target. A subject is typically someone whose conduct is of interest to investigators but prosecutors are not certain they've gathered enough evidence to bring charges.

The designation could change at any time, though. The development was first reported by The Washington Post.

Trump's designation as a subject came up as prosecutors and the president's legal team have been negotiating the terms of an interview with him. The president has said he wants to speak with Mueller's team, but his lawyers have not publicly committed to allowing him to be questioned.

Trump attorney Jay Sekulow declined to confirm or discuss the conversations with Mueller.

White House lawyer Ty Cobb also declined to comment.

Mueller's team has signaled that they're interested in discussing several key episodes in the early parts of the Trump administration as they probe possible obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors have told the legal team they want to question Trump about the firings of former FBI Director James Comey and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Investigators want to discuss conversations Trump had with Comey in which the former FBI director has said the president encouraged him to end an active investigation into Flynn. They're also interested in the events leading up to Flynn's February 2017 firing.

Investigators have said they want to hear from the president to understand his intent and thinking during those events.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 3 April 2018

++16:9++

1. US President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

++16:9++

2. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So we have learned that President Donald Trump's lawyers have been told that he is considered a subject in the Russia investigation but not a target and not a witness."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 3 April 2018

++16:9++

3. US President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

++16:9++

4. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So let's start with a witness. So a witness would be somebody who walks outside and sees two cars collide and had no role in that collision but sees it and investigators want to speak to him about that. A subject is somebody whose contact is of interest to the investigation but not somebody who is in jeopardy of facing imminent criminal prosecution. So they want to talk to them, they want to understand what he or she saw, knew. But they're basically not saying that they're somebody who they're interested in prosecuting the moment. A target is in the worst position to be. That is basically somebody where the Justice Department says we have reason to think that there's criminal conduct that potentially you might have been involved in and we're interested in moving forward in the case."

POOL

Washington - 27 March 2007

++4:3++

5. Various Robert Mueller testifying before Congress

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

++16:9++

6. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"What we don't know is whether Muller believes that the facts aren't there at the moment to support any sort of criminal prosecution or we don't know if Mueller has concluded, based on a Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion, that he cannot indict a sitting president and so that's why Trump is not a target. That's a question that's undetermined at the moment."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Beijing - 30 January 2008

++4:3++

7. Mueller at news conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

++16:9++

8. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So somebody can go into a grand jury who is a subject and leave as a target. That happens infrequently. Sometimes targets are investigated for weeks and months and then ultimately told we're not going to move forward. So actually, none of this is set in stone and none of it by itself carries tremendous significance. It's not like you can hold the government to account to say, 'hey you told my client that he was just a subject how could you charge him? Subjects are charged all the time. Targets are not charge all the time. Those things happen."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 3 April 2018

++16:9++

9. Trump at news conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

++16:9++

10. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which the president who, you know, had a presidential campaign that has been under investigation for a long time now by the special counsel, that he wouldn't be a subject. And given the actions that he's taken as president, it seems logical that if there's going to be investigation, you want to sort of understand the president's role in the matters that you're investigating. So it's hard to imagine any other scenario in which he'd be a subject. That seems logical frankly."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 3 April 2018

++16:9++

11. Trump at news conference

Special counsel Robert Mueller has informed President Donald Trump's attorneys that the president is not currently considered a criminal target in the Russia investigation, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

The person, who was not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations and demanded anonymity, said the president is considered a subject of Mueller's probe - not a target. A subject is typically someone whose conduct is of interest to investigators but prosecutors are not certain they've gathered enough evidence to bring charges.

The designation could change at any time, though. The development was first reported by The Washington Post.

Trump's designation as a subject came up as prosecutors and the president's legal team have been negotiating the terms of an interview with him. The president has said he wants to speak with Mueller's team, but his lawyers have not publicly committed to allowing him to be questioned.

Trump attorney Jay Sekulow declined to confirm or discuss the conversations with Mueller.

White House lawyer Ty Cobb also declined to comment.

Mueller's team has signaled that they're interested in discussing several key episodes in the early parts of the Trump administration as they probe possible obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors have told the legal team they want to question Trump about the firings of former FBI Director James Comey and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Investigators want to discuss conversations Trump had with Comey in which the former FBI director has said the president encouraged him to end an active investigation into Flynn. They're also interested in the events leading up to Flynn's February 2017 firing.

Investigators have said they want to hear from the president to understand his intent and thinking during those events.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 3 April 2018

1. US President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So we have learned that President Donald Trump's lawyers have been told that he is considered a subject in the Russia investigation but not a target and not a witness."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 3 April 2018

3. US President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So let's start with a witness. So a witness would be somebody who walks outside and sees two cars collide and had no role in that collision but sees it and investigators want to speak to him about that. A subject is somebody whose contact is of interest to the investigation but not somebody who is in jeopardy of facing imminent criminal prosecution. So they want to talk to them, they want to understand what he or she saw, knew. But they're basically not saying that they're somebody who they're interested in prosecuting the moment. A target is in the worst position to be. That is basically somebody where the Justice Department says we have reason to think that there's criminal conduct that potentially you might have been involved in and we're interested in moving forward in the case."

POOL

Washington - 27 March 2007

4x3

5. Various Robert Mueller testifying before Congress

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"What we don't know is whether Muller believes that the facts aren't there at the moment to support any sort of criminal prosecution or we don't know if Mueller has concluded, based on a Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion, that he cannot indict a sitting president and so that's why Trump is not a target. That's a question that's undetermined at the moment."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Beijing - 30 January 2008

4x3

7. Mueller at news conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So somebody can go into a grand jury who is a subject and leave as a target. That happens infrequently. Sometimes targets are investigated for weeks and months and then ultimately told we're not going to move forward. So actually, none of this is set in stone and none of it by itself carries tremendous significance. It's not like you can hold the government to account to say, 'hey you told my client that he was just a subject how could you charge him? Subjects are charged all the time. Targets are not charge all the time. Those things happen."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 3 April 2018

9. Trump at news conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 4 April 2018

10. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which the president who, you know, had a presidential campaign that has been under investigation for a long time now by the special counsel, that he wouldn't be a subject. And given the actions that he's taken as president, it seems logical that if there's going to be investigation, you want to sort of understand the president's role in the matters that you're investigating. So it's hard to imagine any other scenario in which he'd be a subject. That seems logical frankly."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 3 April 2018

11. Trump at news conference

President Donald Trump has provided the special counsel with written answers to questions about his knowledge of Russian interference in the 2016 election, his lawyers said on Tuesday.

The move avoids at least for now a potentially risky sit-down with prosecutors and is the first time the president has directly cooperated with the long investigation.

The step is a milestone in a months-long negotiation between his attorneys and special counsel Robert Mueller's team over whether and when the president would sit for an interview, representing the first time the president is known to have described to investigators his knowledge of key moments under scrutiny by prosecutors.

If Mueller finds the answers satisfactory, the responses may also help stave off a potential subpoena fight over Trump's testimony.

The compromise outcome, nearly a year in the making, offers some benefit to both sides.

Trump avoids, at least for now, a potentially risky and unpredictable sit-down with prosecutors, while Mueller secures a set of on-the-record statements whose accuracy the president and his lawyers will be expected to stand by for the duration of the investigation.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker says someone very close to the president could become ensnared in Mueller's probe.

"We expect that there are going to be more indictments," Tucker said. "There's a lot of speculation and buzz in Washington as to who might be next up. We know that there's concern within the White House about President Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr."

POOL

Washington DC - 20 November 2018

1. President Donald Trump greets White House visitors

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 20 November 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

"Today, we have learned that President Donald Trump and his lawyers have turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller written answers to questions about Russian election interference and questions that are related to the topic of whether the campaign colluded with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 US presidential election."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE - Washington DC - 21 August 2013

3. STILL Robert Mueller speaking during an interview at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 20 November 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

"These are questions that relate to the time period before President Trump took office. And that's really important. They relate to the central question of collusion. And so, we can imagine and infer that Mueller wants to understand to what extent did Trump know about the Russian hacking of Democratic emails, to what extent did Trump have any knowledge that his son was going to be attending a meeting at Trump Tower with a Kremlin-connected lawyer. Those are all questions that cut to the heart of the collusion question that Mueller is trying to answer."

POOL

Washington DC - 20 November 2018

5. Trump and his family walk outside at the White House

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 20 November 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

"We expect that there are going to be more indictments. There's a lot of speculation and buzz in Washington as to who might be next up. We know that there's concern within the White House about President Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr.. He, of course, attended and helped organize the Trump Tower meeting, which is very significant, because he took that meeting with the expectation of receiving dirt on Hillary Clinton, his father's opponent. We have no indication that he's in legal jeopardy, but we do know that the White House is concerned about that."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE - Sun City, Arizona - 1 November 2018

7. STILL Donald Trump Jr. speaking at a campaign rally for US senate candidate

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 20 November 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

"The main question that now arises is whether special counsel Mueller would seek a subpoena of President Trump for his testimony in a criminal investigation. The Supreme Court has never weighed in on that specific question, and it is possible that Mueller will receive these answers from Trump and want additional information on the collusion question specifically and say he's not satisfied. If that were to happen, it is possible that he might seek a subpoena and try to get Justice Department approval for that."

POOL

Washington DC - 20 November 2018

9. Trump walks toward the Marine One helicopter

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 2 May 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"What we've now learned is that in March, during a meeting between special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors and President Donald Trump's lawyers, the Muellar team actually kind of floated or broached the subject of possibly subpoena--subpoenaing the president and compelling him to testify as part of the Russian probe."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Bejing - 30 January 2008

2. FILE: Former FBI Director Robert Mueller at news conference (partly coves soundbite)

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

++NIGHT SHOT++

Washington - 28 April 2018

3. US President Donald Trump walking across White House lawn (partly coves soundbite)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 2 May 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"So these have been ongoing negotiations where they're trying to secure an interview with the president where they can question him about a number of different topics. And this is all part of, not only an investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with the Trump campaign but also whether or not the President obstructed justice in any way through his firing of Jim Comey and some of the conversations that and actions that he took regarding the firing of Michael Flynn. And then also pressure that he exerted on Attorney General Jeff Sessions."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

New York - 29 April 2011

5. Various STILLS former Trump attorney John Dowd (partly covers soundbite)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 2 May 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"So John Dowd is actually President Donald Trump's former personal attorney. He was on his legal team and leading the legal team. He was the key person in the negotiations between the president's legal team and an Muller's team. But then he resigned last month. Now what we're learning though is that a meeting that occurred in earlier in March when he was still leading this legal team, that's what this whole subpoena issue came up where there was a conversation where they were trying to negotiate the terms of the interview and Mueller's team basically said well you know we could at some point try to compel the President's testimony."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

New York - 12 January 2017

7. Rudy Giuliani talks to reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower (partly coves soundbite)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 2 May 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"Right now we're in a little bit of a reset on President Donald Trump's legal team because recently you know Dowd left and they brought in Rudy Giuliani they also brought in two really seasoned former federal prosecutors, Marty and Jane Raskin out of Florida. And so, we're not it's not exactly clear what this kind of what kind of impact this would have on the negotiations currently. I think what why this is important is that any time something like this becomes public it really fires up the president and as we've seen over the last few days and few weeks he has really upped his attacks on the special counsel and the Justice Department at large."

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"Even if there was a subpoena issued, that doesn't necessarily mean that Trump would actually have to do, to answer any questions. What what would happen is that either they would try to go to court to get the subpoena quashed or they could go into the grand jury room and basically take the Fifth the entire time. Everybody has the Fifth Amendment protection against self incrimination and they cannot compel you to testify against yourself."

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan - 28 April 2018

10. Trump steps off Air Force One, waves (partly coves soundbite)

STORYLINE:

The special counsel leading the Russia investigation raised the prospect in March of issuing a grand jury subpoena for President Donald Trump, his former attorney said, confirming that investigators have floated the extraordinary idea of forcing a sitting president to testify under oath.

Attorney John Dowd told The Associated Press on Tuesday that special counsel Robert Mueller's team broached the subject during a meeting with Trump's legal team while they were negotiating the terms of a possible interview with the president.

AP reporter Chad Day says Trump's legal team is in the midst of a reset.

"We're not it's not exactly clear what this kind of what kind of impact this would have on the negotiations currently. I think what why this is important is that any time something like this becomes public it really fires up the president and as we've seen over the last few days and few weeks he has really upped his attacks on the special counsel and the Justice Department at large," Day said.

It was not immediately clear in what context the possibility of a subpoena was raised or how serious Mueller's prosecutors were about the move. Mueller is probing not only Russian election interference and possible coordination with Trump associates but possible obstruction of justice by Trump.

Trump lashed out against the investigation in a familiar fashion Wednesday, saying on Twitter: "There was no Collusion (it is a Hoax) and there is no Obstruction of Justice (that is a setup & trap)."

Even if Mueller's team decided to subpoena Trump as part of the investigation, he could still fight it in court or refuse to answer questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment protection from self-incrimination.

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

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President Donald Trump has provided the special counsel's office with written answers to questions about his knowledge of Russian interference in the 2016 election, his lawyers said Tuesday, marking the first time Trump has directly cooperated with the investigation.

The step is a milestone in a months-long negotiation between Trump's attorneys and special counsel Robert Mueller's team over whether and when the president would sit for an interview, representing the first time the president is known to have described to investigators his knowledge of key moments under scrutiny by prosecutors.

If Mueller finds the answers satisfactory, the responses may also help stave off a potential subpoena fight over Trump's testimony.

The compromise outcome, nearly a year in the making, offers some benefit to both sides. Trump avoids, at least for now, a potentially risky and unpredictable sit-down with prosecutors, while Mueller secures a set of on-the-record statements whose accuracy the president and his lawyers will be expected to stand by for the duration of the investigation.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker says someone very close to the president could become ensnared in Mueller's probe.

"We expect that there are going to be more indictments," Tucker said. "There's a lot of speculation and buzz in Washington as to who might be next up. We know that there's concern within the White House about President Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr."

POOL

Washington - 20 November 2018

1. President Donald Trump greets White House visitors

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 20 November 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

"Today, we have learned that President Donald Trump and his lawyers have turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller written answers to questions about Russian election interference and questions that are related to the topic of whether the campaign colluded with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 U.S. presidential election."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 21 August 2013

3. STILL of Robert Mueller speaking during an interview at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 20 November 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

"These are questions that relate to the time period before President Trump took office. And that's really important. They relate to the central question of collusion. And so, we can imagine and infer that Mueller wants to understand to what extent did Trump know about the Russian hacking of Democratic emails, to what extent did Trump have any knowledge that his son was going to be attending a meeting at Trump Tower with a Kremlin-connected lawyer. Those are all questions that cut to the heart of the collusion question that Mueller is trying to answer."

POOL

Washington - 20 November 2018

5. Trump and his family walk outside at the White House

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 20 November 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

"We expect that there are going to be more indictments. There's a lot of speculation and buzz in Washington as to who might be next up. We know that there's concern within the White House about President Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr. He, of course, attended and helped organize the Trump Tower meeting, which is very significant, because he took that meeting with the expectation of receiving dirt on Hillary Clinton, his father's opponent. We have no indication that he's in legal jeopardy, but we do know that the White House is concerned about that."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sun City, Arizona - 1 November 2018

7. STILL of Donald Trump Jr. speaking at a campaign rally for a U.S. Senate candidate

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 20 November 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

"The main question that now arises is whether special counsel Mueller would seek a subpoena of President Trump for his testimony in a criminal investigation. The Supreme Court has never weighed in on that specific question, and it is possible that Mueller will receive these answers from Trump and want additional information on the collusion question specifically and say he's not satisfied. If that were to happen, it is possible that he might seek a subpoena and try to get Justice Department approval for that."

POOL

Washington - 20 November 2018

9. Trump walks toward the Marine One helicopter

It was a few days before the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration and a Lebanese-American businessman was on his way to Mar-a-Lago.

George Nader, an international fixer whose long history included intrepid back-channel mediation between Israel and Arab countries - and a 15-year-old pedophilia conviction in Europe that has not been previously reported - was transiting through Dulles International Airport outside Washington.

It was hardly his first far-flung journey to see top aides of the world's most powerful leader, as Nader had met the U.S. president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and chief strategist Steve Bannon in the days before they stormed the White House.

But he encountered an altogether different scene awaiting him at the airport.

There, special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators stopped Nader, people familiar with the case said. His electronics were seized and he was then allowed to go to his lawyer. Nader later agreed to cooperate with Mueller's investigation, said the people with knowledge of the case as it pertains to Nader. They weren't authorized to speak publicly on the case and demanded anonymity.

Mueller, whose team has spent the last 10 months investigating possible Trump-related wrongdoing connected to Russia, is interested in high-level get-togethers Nader participated in after the presidential election, according to three people familiar with the case.

The first took place in Trump Tower in New York in December 2016 and brought together Nader, Kushner, Bannon - whom Trump fired last August - and Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates. The second occurred a month later in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Seychelles and involved Nader, bin Zayed, former Blackwater boss Erik Prince and Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian banker close to President Vladimir Putin.

For Nader, it was the latest brush with the law in an eventful, globe-trotting career.

Many of Nader's former contacts and onetime friends have noted in recent weeks how they lost touch with him in the early 2000s.

On Wednesday, an official in the Czech Republic told The Associated Press that Nader is a convicted pedophile and served time in a Prague prison around that time.

Nader was convicted by Prague's Municipal Court of 10 cases of sexually abusing minors and sentenced to a one-year prison term in May 2003, said Marketa Puci, the court spokeswoman. She said the crimes occurred between 1999 and 2002.

Nader's legal problems in Prague appear unrelated to his role in Mueller's probe in the United States. But they contribute to the portrait of a man who has led a shadowy existence as a go-between across numerous Middle East capitals and who gave testimony to Mueller's Washington grand jury earlier this month.

Nader had worked in recent times as an adviser to bin Zayed, one of the most powerful men in the Middle East, according to people who know Nader. The questioning of Nader in the Mueller probe suggests possible interest in UAE relations with Trump's transition team or his administration.

Puci, the court spokeswoman, said Nader was convicted of "moral corruption of minors, sexual abuse and impairing morals," after abusing underage boys.

In one case, Nader requested oral sex from a 14-year-old in a room at the Hilton Hotel in Prague, Puci said. After the boy refused, Nader masturbated in front of the boy and paid him 2,000 koruna - worth about $100 today, she said.

The verdict cites other examples of Nader providing money, jewelry, cellphones, clothes and accommodation for sexual services. The AP was able to see a copy of the verdict, which gives Nader's birthdate as May 15, 1959. Nader was separately accused in Washington, D.C., of child pornography infractions in 1985, but those charges were later dropped. A criminal docket sheet obtained by the AP shows the same birthdate for Nader.

Two people with knowledge of the case say it involved the same Nader now cooperating with Mueller.

Puci said it wasn't clear how much of the one-year sentence Nader served in the Czech Republic. He was ordered expelled following his time served.

Kathy Ruemmler, who previously served as White House counsel to President Barack Obama, is among the lawyers representing Nader. She declined to answer questions about her client.

But Sandeep Savla, another lawyer for Nader, said: "This is nothing more than an orchestrated, disgusting scheme by those who are trying to intimidate Mr. Nader into silence. It won't work. Mr. Nader will continue to answer truthfully questions put to him by the special counsel."

Nader's connections with Trump confidants include Elliott Broidy, a top Republican fundraiser who co-hosted a Tuesday night event attended by the president in Beverly Hills, California.

Earlier this month, several media organizations, including the AP, obtained emails belonging to Broidy, a California-based venture capitalist and the Republican National Committee's deputy finance chairman. They show Broidy emailing Nader with a summary of Broidy's talks with Kushner and Trump in the White House in October 2017, touching on matters including the UAE's bitter dispute with fellow Persian Gulf country Qatar.

Broidy accused Qatar of hacking his emails. The Qataris denied the charge.

"Your government's actions against U.S. citizens will jeopardize your nation's relationship with the United States," Broidy wrote in a public letter to Qatar's U.S. ambassador.

In response, the Qatari government called Broidy's "baseless accusations" a "diversionary tactic."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Prague - 14 March 2018

1. Portion of court verdict and sentence with George Nader's name on it and stating he is a citizen of the United States

2. Various, Prague Municipal Court Spokesperson, Marketa Puci, holding court verdict and sentence

3. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Marketa Puci, Prague Municipal Court Spokesperson:

"I'm holding a verdict by which an American citizen, George Nader, together with Czech offenders was in 2003 convicted, for crimes that I will now read to you. The court sentenced him to one year in prison and to an indefinite deportation."

4. Shot of first page of court verdict and sentence reading, "judgment on behalf of the Republic"

5. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Marketa Puci, Prague Municipal Court Spokesperson:

"According to the then valid law, Mr. Nader was convicted of moral corruption of minors, sexual abuse and impairing morals."

6. Shot of first page of court verdict and sentence reading, "judgment on behalf of the Republic"

7. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Marketa Puci, Prague Municipal Court Spokesperson:

"At that time was (the victim) was 14-years-old. He (Nader) requested oral sex and after the boy refused, he with the boy's consent, pulled out his private parts and masturbated in front of him and for that mister Nader paid the boy 2000 Koruna. And there have been 10 similar cases like this."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 15 May 2017

8. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with President Donald Trump in Oval Office

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 13 June 2013

8. Various, then-FBI Director Robert Mueller being sworn in

9. STILL Image Mueller in committee hearing

POOL

New York - 17 August 2016

10. Various views, then candidate Donald Trump meeting with advisers in Trump Tower, including Stephen Bannon and Paul Manafort

POOL

New York - 15 December 2016

11. Wide, Trump Tower lobby

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 11 November 2016

12. STILL Image, Stephen Bannon leaving Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 9 December 2016

13. STILL Images, Steve Bannon speaking on cellphone outside Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 14 November 2016

14. Mid, Jared Kushner arrives in lobby of Trump Tower

POOL

New York - 6 December 2016

15. US President-elect Donald Trump walks out of elevator at Trump Tower

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald J. Trump, President-elect: ++SHOT CONTINUES FROM PREVIOUS++

"Good morning, how are you? Everything fine? We have got some great people coming in today. You'll see them."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dulles, Virginia - 6 October 2014

17. Wide, zoom Dulles airport

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed for hours last week in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, the Justice Department confirmed Tuesday. He's the highest-ranking Trump administration official and first Cabinet member known to have submitted to questioning.

The interview came as Mueller investigates whether President Donald Trump's actions in office, including the firing of FBI Director James Comey, constitute efforts to obstruct the FBI probe into contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russia. Trump's own lawyers are discussing the prospect of an interview with the president himself, and White House officials state publicly that they anticipate a resolution soon to the investigation.

The questioning of the country's chief law enforcement officer is a reflection of investigators' continued interest in whether the president took steps to improperly obstruct justice. That question has been at the heart of the investigation for months as agents and prosecutors have questioned multiple current and former White House officials.

Sessions himself is seen as a potentially important witness given his direct involvement in the May 9 firing of Comey.

The White House initially said the termination was done on the recommendation of the Justice Department and cited a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that faulted Comey for his handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation as justification.

But Trump said later that he was thinking of "this Russia thing" when he fired Comey, and he had decided to make the move even before the Justice Department's recommendations.

Sessions was one of Trump's earliest and most loyal allies, the first senator to endorse him during the presidential campaign.

But his decision to step aside from the Russia investigation has strained their bond, and the two men now rarely speak directly. Trump saw the recusal as weak and disloyal, believing his attorney general should be doing more to protect him

Over the past several months Mueller investigators have spoken with other key people close to the president, including White House Counsel Don McGahn, former chief of staff Reince Priebus and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Sessions' attorney, Chuck Cooper, declined to comment, as did the White House.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 5 September 2017

1. FILE Sessions speaking at Department of Justice about DACA

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"Jeff Sessions is the country's chief law enforcement officer. He is the first cabinet member who has been known to be interviewed by Special Counsel Mueller. He's the highest ranking Trump administration official who we know, and what it indicates is a continued interest by Mueller and his team in questions about whether the president committed obstruction of justice while in office."

ASSOCIATED PRES

Washington - 5 September 2017

3. FILE Sessions speaking at Department of Justice about DACA

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"What he actually most critically is involved in was the firing of FBI Director Jim Comey back in May, and that is one of the critical episodes of the Trump presidency that's been under investigation by Bob Mueller."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 9 February 2017

5. FILE Various Jeff Sessions being sworn in as attorney general by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"And it's part of a series of questions as to whether the president took actions while in office to stymie the FBI investigation into contacts between his campaign and Russia. And you'll remember that Jeff Sessions was very important to that because he is somebody who endorsed the firing of Director Comey."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 9 February 2017

7. FILE Jeff Sessions being sworn in as attorney general by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"We know that the special counsel's office has interviewed multiple current and former White House officials including the president's own son in law Jared Kushner, White House counsel Don McGahn and the former chief of staff Reince Priebus. We also know that special counsel Mueller has expressed interest in a potential interview down the road with the president."

US POOL

Washington - 9 February 2017

9. FILE Newly appointed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions arriving at the Department of Justice and shaking hands with staff

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"White House lawyer Ty Cobb has been on record as saying he anticipates the investigation will resolve soon. He's put a time frame of four to six weeks. We're not sure if that's actually going to happen. It's sort of hard to predict for anyone when these investigations will end."

US POOL

Washington - 9 February 2017

11. FILE Newly appointed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions arriving at the Department of Justice and shaking hands with staff

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed for hours last week in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, the Justice Department confirmed Tuesday. He's the highest-ranking Trump administration official and first Cabinet member known to have submitted to questioning.

The interview came as Mueller investigates whether President Donald Trump's actions in office, including the firing of FBI Director James Comey, constitute efforts to obstruct the FBI probe into contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russia. Trump's own lawyers are discussing the prospect of an interview with the president himself, and White House officials state publicly that they anticipate a resolution soon to the investigation.

The questioning of the country's chief law enforcement officer is a reflection of investigators' continued interest in whether the president took steps to improperly obstruct justice. That question has been at the heart of the investigation for months as agents and prosecutors have questioned multiple current and former White House officials.

Sessions himself is seen as a potentially important witness given his direct involvement in the May 9 firing of Comey. The White House initially said the termination was done on the recommendation of the Justice Department and cited a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that faulted Comey for his handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation as justification.

But Trump said later that he was thinking of "this Russia thing" when he fired Comey, and he had decided to make the move even before the Justice Department's recommendations.

Sessions was one of Trump's earliest and most loyal allies, the first senator to endorse him during the presidential campaign. They shared an ambitious law-and-order agenda that focuses on hawkish immigration policies and tough-on-crime strategies that engendered affection from many conservatives.

He has continued to push Trump's agenda on everything from gangs and the opioid crisis to religious freedom, giving the president credit every step of the way.

But his decision to step aside from the Russia investigation has strained their bond, and the two men now rarely speak directly. Trump saw the recusal as weak and disloyal, believing his attorney general should be doing more to protect him

Over the past several months Mueller investigators have spoken with other key people close to the president, including White House Counsel Don McGahn, former chief of staff Reince Priebus and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Mueller has conveyed interest in speaking with the president, and White House attorney Ty Cobb said that is "under active discussion" with Trump's individual lawyers. He said last week on a CBS News' political podcast, "The Takeout," that he expected the investigation to be wrapped up within weeks.

Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation in early March after acknowledging that he had had two previously undisclosed encounters with the Russian ambassador during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. He said at the time that it would be improper for him to oversee a probe into a campaign for which he was a vocal and prominent supporter.

Since then, Trump has lashed out repeatedly on Twitter at Sessions and the Justice Department.

People familiar with the matter have told The Associated Press that McGahn had contacted Sessions to urge him to retain control of the investigation. McGahn was acting at the behest of the president, according to one of those people, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly by name.

Rosenstein appointed Mueller, a former FBI director, to take over the Russia investigation one week after Comey was fired. He oversees the work of Mueller's investigators, but he told the AP in an interview last June that he, too, would recuse himself if his actions ever became relevant to the probe.

Sessions' attorney, Chuck Cooper, declined to comment, as did the White House.

Four people have so far been charged in the Mueller investigation, including former White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Flynn and George Papadopoulos, a former campaign foreign policy adviser, have pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

Sessions' interview with the Mueller team was first reported by The New York Times.

++SOUNDBITES PARTIALLY COVERED BY VIDEO++

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 5 September 2017

1. FILE Various Sessions speaking at Department of Justice about DACA

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 23 January 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"Jeff Sessions is the country's chief law enforcement officer. He is the first cabinet member who has been known to be interviewed by Special Counsel Mueller. He's the highest ranking Trump administration official who we know, and what it indicates is a continued interest by Mueller and his team in questions about whether the president committed obstruction of justice while in office."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 9 February 2017

3. FILE Various Jeff Sessions being sworn in as attorney general by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"What he actually most critically is involved in was the firing of FBI Director Jim Comey back in May, and that is one of the critical episodes of the Trump presidency that's been under investigation by Bob Mueller. And it's part of a series of questions as to whether the president took actions while in office to stymie the FBI investigation into contacts between his campaign and Russia. And you'll remember that Jeff Sessions was very important to that because he is somebody who endorsed the firing of Director Comey."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 9 February 2017

5. FILE Jeff Sessions being sworn in as attorney general by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"We know that the special counsel's office has interviewed multiple current and former White House officials including the president's own son in law Jared Kushner, White House counsel Don McGahn and the former chief of staff Reince Priebus. We also know that special counsel Mueller has expressed interest in a potential interview down the road with the president."

US POOL

Washington - 9 February 2017

7. FILE Newly appointed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions arriving at the Department of Justice and shaking hands with staff

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"White House lawyer Ty Cobb has been on record as saying he anticipates the investigation will resolve soon. He's put a time frame of four to six weeks. We're not sure if that's actually going to happen. It's sort of hard to predict for anyone when these investigations will end."

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed for hours last week in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, the Justice Department confirmed Tuesday. He's the highest-ranking Trump administration official and first Cabinet member known to have submitted to questioning.

The interview came as Mueller investigates whether President Donald Trump's actions in office, including the firing of FBI Director James Comey, constitute efforts to obstruct the FBI probe into contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russia. Trump's own lawyers are discussing the prospect of an interview with the president himself, and White House officials state publicly that they anticipate a resolution soon to the investigation.

The questioning of the country's chief law enforcement officer is a reflection of investigators' continued interest in whether the president took steps to improperly obstruct justice. That question has been at the heart of the investigation for months as agents and prosecutors have questioned multiple current and former White House officials.

Sessions himself is seen as a potentially important witness given his direct involvement in the May 9 firing of Comey.

The White House initially said the termination was done on the recommendation of the Justice Department and cited a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that faulted Comey for his handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation as justification.

But Trump said later that he was thinking of "this Russia thing" when he fired Comey, and he had decided to make the move even before the Justice Department's recommendations.

Sessions was one of Trump's earliest and most loyal allies, the first senator to endorse him during the presidential campaign.

But his decision to step aside from the Russia investigation has strained their bond, and the two men now rarely speak directly. Trump saw the recusal as weak and disloyal, believing his attorney general should be doing more to protect him

Over the past several months Mueller investigators have spoken with other key people close to the president, including White House Counsel Don McGahn, former chief of staff Reince Priebus and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Sessions' attorney, Chuck Cooper, declined to comment, as did the White House.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 5 September 2017

1. FILE Sessions speaking at Department of Justice about DACA

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"Jeff Sessions is the country's chief law enforcement officer. He is the first cabinet member who has been known to be interviewed by Special Counsel Mueller. He's the highest ranking Trump administration official who we know, and what it indicates is a continued interest by Mueller and his team in questions about whether the president committed obstruction of justice while in office."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 5 September 2017

3. FILE Sessions speaking at Department of Justice about DACA

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"What he actually most critically is involved in was the firing of FBI Director Jim Comey back in May, and that is one of the critical episodes of the Trump presidency that's been under investigation by Bob Mueller."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 9 February 2017

5. FILE Various Jeff Sessions being sworn in as attorney general by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"And it's part of a series of questions as to whether the president took actions while in office to stymie the FBI investigation into contacts between his campaign and Russia. And you'll remember that Jeff Sessions was very important to that because he is somebody who endorsed the firing of Director Comey."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 9 February 2017

7. FILE Jeff Sessions being sworn in as attorney general by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"We know that the special counsel's office has interviewed multiple current and former White House officials including the president's own son in law Jared Kushner, White House counsel Don McGahn and the former chief of staff Reince Priebus. We also know that special counsel Mueller has expressed interest in a potential interview down the road with the president."

US POOL

Washington - 9 February 2017

9. FILE Newly appointed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions arriving at the Department of Justice and shaking hands with staff

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"White House lawyer Ty Cobb has been on record as saying he anticipates the investigation will resolve soon. He's put a time frame of four to six weeks. We're not sure if that's actually going to happen. It's sort of hard to predict for anyone when these investigations will end."

US POOL

Washington - 9 February 2017

11. FILE Newly appointed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions arriving at the Department of Justice and shaking hands with staff

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 13 June 2013

1. Various of FBI Direct Mueller being sworn in, then sitting down

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 17 May 2017

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Today the Justice Department announced the appointment of a special counsel to oversea an FBI investigation into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 Presidential election. That special counsel is Robert Mueller, who led the FBI for 12 years. He was appointed just before the September 11 terror attacks and stayed on even beyond his ten year term because President Obama considered him so valuable."

SCREEN GRAB - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 17 May 2017

3. STILL of President Donald Trump's statement

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 17 May 2017

4 . SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"He has been very emphatic for years about the FBI's independence, its neutrality, he is highly respected as somebody who navigated the FBI through very difficult times and he was seen as somebody who really sort of led an FBI that iddn't have a major scandal for the 12 years he was on top of it."

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 13 June 2013

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Robert Mueller, FBI Director:

"I can tell you every time that we have a leak like this, and if you follow it up and you look at the intelligence afterwards there are persons who are out there who follow this very, very closely, and they are looking for ways around it. One of great vulnerabilities that terrorists understand is our communications."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 17 May 2017

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"What it really means though is that whoever he (Trump) chooses as FBI director, Mueller is now running the show vis-a-vis the Trump-Russia campaign. So in a certain sense it minimizes the impact of that appointment when it comes to the Trump Russia campaign."

7. Various exteriors of Justice Department building

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Mueller just gave a statement saying he respects this responsibility and he will discharge the duty to the best of his abilities."

9. Security officers walking outside of Justice Department

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We expect some of it to be viewed sort of outside the view of the Justice Department. We now have a special counsel who even though he technically will answer to the Deputy Attorney General it is his investigation and so we're not really sure what kind of public briefings congress will really get from the Special Counsel."

11. Exterior of Justice Department

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The appointment of a special counsel follows by one day the revelation that Comey had created a memo back in February that chronicled a conversation he had in the oval office with President Trump and according to that memo in that conversation President Trump had asked if he could see his way to ending the ongoing investigation into Michael Flynn, his National Security Advisor."

SCREEN GRAB - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 17 May 2017

13 STILL of Paul Ryan statement

STORYLINE:

The Justice Department appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller Wednesday as a special counsel to oversee the federal investigation into allegations that Russia and Donald Trump's campaign collaborated to influence the 2016 presidential election, giving Mueller sweeping powers and the authority to prosecute any crimes uncovered in the probe.

It was a concession by the Trump administration, which had resisted calls from Democrats to turn the investigation over to outside counsel. The White House counsel's office was alerted only after the order appointing Mueller was signed.

In a written statement, Trump insisted again that there were no nefarious ties between his campaign and Russia.

"A thorough investigation will confirm what we already know — there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity," he declared. "I look forward to this matter concluding quickly."

The appointment of a special counsel increases the pressure on Trump and his associates. Mueller's broad mandate gives him not only oversight of the Russia probe, but also "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation." That could well include the firing last week of FBI Director James Comey.

Mueller, a former federal prosecutor at the Justice Department, was confirmed as FBI director days before the Sept. 11 attacks that would ultimately shape his tenure. The FBI's counterterrorism mission was elevated in those years, as the U.S. intelligence agencies' structure was changed to better position America to prevent another attack of that magnitude. He was so valued that President Barack Obama asked him to stay on two years longer than his 10-year term.

===========================================================

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The Justice Department appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller Wednesday as a special counsel to oversee the federal investigation into allegations that Russia and Donald Trump's campaign collaborated to influence the 2016 presidential election, giving Mueller sweeping powers and the authority to prosecute any crimes uncovered in the probe.

It was a concession by the Trump administration, which had resisted calls from Democrats to turn the investigation over to outside counsel. The White House counsel's office was alerted only after the order appointing Mueller was signed.

In a written statement, Trump insisted again that there were no nefarious ties between his campaign and Russia.

"A thorough investigation will confirm what we already know — there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity," he declared. "I look forward to this matter concluding quickly."

The appointment of a special counsel increases the pressure on Trump and his associates. Mueller's broad mandate gives him not only oversight of the Russia probe, but also "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation." That could well include the firing last week of FBI Director James Comey.

Mueller, a former federal prosecutor at the Justice Department, was confirmed as FBI director days before the Sept. 11 attacks that would ultimately shape his tenure. The FBI's counterterrorism mission was elevated in those years, as the U.S. intelligence agencies' structure was changed to better position America to prevent another attack of that magnitude. He was so valued that President Barack Obama asked him to stay on two years longer than his 10-year term.

POOL

Washington - 13 June 2013

1. Various of FBI Direct Mueller being sworn in, then sitting down

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 17 May 2017

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Today the Justice Department announced the appointment of a special counsel to oversea an FBI investigation into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 Presidential election. That special counsel is Robert Mueller, who led the FBI for 12 years. He was appointed just before the September 11 terror attacks and stayed on even beyond his ten year term because President Obama considered him so valuable."

SCREEN GRAB

Washington - 17 May 2017

3. STILL of President Donald Trump's statement

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 17 May 2017

4 . SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"He has been very emphatic for years about the FBI's independence, its neutrality, he is highly respected as somebody who navigated the FBI through very difficult times and he was seen as somebody who really sort of led an FBI that iddn't have a major scandal for the 12 years he was on top of it."

POOL

Washington - 13 June 2013

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Robert Mueller, FBI Director:

"I can tell you every time that we have a leak like this, and if you follow it up and you look at the intelligence afterwards there are persons who are out there who follow this very, very closely, and they are looking for ways around it. One of great vulnerabilities that terrorists understand is our communications."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 17 May 2017

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"What it really means though is that whoever he (Trump) chooses as FBI director, Mueller is now running the show vis-a-vis the Trump-Russia campaign. So in a certain sense it minimizes the impact of that appointment when it comes to the Trump Russia campaign."

7. Various exteriors of Justice Department building

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Mueller just gave a statement saying he respects this responsibility and he will discharge the duty to the best of his abilities."

9. Security officers walking outside of Justice Department

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We expect some of it to be viewed sort of outside the view of the Justice Department. We now have a special counsel who even though he technically will answer to the Deputy Attorney General it is his investigation and so we're not really sure what kind of public briefings congress will really get from the Special Counsel."

11. Exterior of Justice Department

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The appointment of a special counsel follows by one day the revelation that Comey had created a memo back in February that chronicled a conversation he had in the oval office with President Trump and according to that memo in that conversation President Trump had asked if he could see his way to ending the ongoing investigation into Michael Flynn, his National Security Advisor."

SCREEN GRAB

Washington - 17 May 2017

13 STILL of Paul Ryan statement

President Donald Trump and his lawyers are laying out an extraordinarily expansive vision of executive authority that scholars say is mostly untested in court and could portend a drawn-out fight with the prosecutors now investigating him.

A memo submitted by the president's lawyers to special counsel Robert Mueller asserts as fact that presidents cannot obstruct justice because, as the country's chief law enforcement officer, they have ultimate control of the Justice Department and executive branch.

His lawyers have repeatedly insisted that it's beyond dispute that a sitting president cannot be criminally prosecuted, while Trump tweeted Monday that he has the "absolute right" to pardon himself.

As Mueller's investigation moves forward, courts may have to confront questions with minimal if any historical precedent.

Those include whether a president can be forced to answer questions from prosecutors, whether it's possible for a commander-in-chief to criminally interfere in investigations and whether a president's broad pardon power can be deployed for corrupt purposes.

Mueller is investigating whether Trump associates coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump took steps to shut down that investigation through actions including the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Though Trump insists he did nothing wrong, the statements from him and his lawyers, including the January memo to Mueller, make clear how much of their defense revolves around establishing that he was constitutionally empowered to take the actions he took that are now under investigation.

The defense argument suggests that protocols meant to protect against abuses of power are merely norms the American public has come to expect, rather than laws binding upon a president.

There's some historical precedent for the court clash that could be instigated by the Trump investigation, but in many ways the arguments remain unsettled and tested.

The Supreme Court has never definitively ruled on the question of whether a president could be forced to testify, though the justices in 1974 did rule that President Richard Nixon had to turn over recordings and documents that had been subpoenaed.

TWITTER @RealDonaldTrump

Internet - 4 June 2018

1. Donald Trump tweet reading (English) "As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!"

2. Donald Trump tweet reading (English) "The appointment of the Special Counsel is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Despite that, we play the game because I, unlike the Democrats, have done nothing wrong!"

ASSOCIATED PRESS

3. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So President Donald Trump tweeted this morning that he has the absolute power to pardon himself if he wants to, though he quickly added that he has no intention of doing so because he's done nothing wrong."

POOL

Washington - 1 June 2018

4. Trump walking toward camera

ASSOCIATED PRESS

5. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So what the president is getting at is actually something that has been historically untested, so nobody actually really knows whether it is true or not if the president can pardon himself because there's never been a Supreme Court that's weighed in on the opinion because frankly no president has ever thought to try to pardon himself or been in the position where they were going to do that. So, we're getting into unchartered territory to the extend that we're talking about this is a reasonable possibility. It's never reached the Supreme Court. I would however note that there is a Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion from 1974 that suggests the president cannot act as his or her own judge. And so therefore would mitigate against pardoning himself or herself."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 1 June 2018

6. Trump walking on White House lawn

ASSOCIATED PRESS

7. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So what we're seeing from the series of public statements and tweets both from the president and his lawyers are really expansive visions of constitutional presidential authority and power. And so we are realizing that the defense for the president in the Mueller investigation is not so much a factual defense about what I did or didn't do as much as as I am president and therefore I am entitled to carry out the very acts that you're now investigating me for and so if I want to fire the FBI director, I can. If I want to ask the FBI director to shut down a particular investigation. I can. I'm the president. I control the executive branch. And so we are now getting into fairly untested arguments about the scope of the constitutional authorities vested in the president."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 13 June 2013

8. Robert Mueller testifies on Capitol Hill

ASSOCIATED PRESS

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So a lot's going to depend on whether the president consents to an interview. So if he agrees to an interview, that would sort of seem to suggest there won't be a hugely drawn out court fight. If he rejects the interview request formally and then Mueller chooses to subpoena, him which is not something that we're aware that he's going to do. But should he subpoena him, we will anticipate a very significant court fight, potentially up to the Supreme Court that will really test some of these issues that we're talking about, whether the president can be subpoenaed for his testimony, whether he could be compelled to speak to investigators. These are really significant issues that suggest that a big court fight could be ahead."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Beijing - 13 June 2013

10. Mueller at news conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

11. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"I guess what's really interesting to me, at least, is how much of this is truly unknown. So you have legal experts and academics on one side of the spectrum who say this can never happen. You have others who say, 'well actually, technically when you look at the Constitution it doesn't preclude the types of behaviors or responses that the president's talking about.' So to the extent that we are moving into areas that we've never been before. I think there's going to be an opportunity to create new law and there's not going to be much to look at that guides us in terms of this is the one true right answer. So it's sort of fascinating in that sense."

POOL

Joint Base Andrews - 31 May 2018

12. Trump walking up steps to Air Force One

President Donald Trump and his lawyers are laying out an extraordinarily expansive vision of executive authority that scholars say is mostly untested in court and could portend a drawn-out fight with the prosecutors now investigating him.

A memo submitted by the president's lawyers to special counsel Robert Mueller asserts as fact that presidents cannot obstruct justice because, as the country's chief law enforcement officer, they have ultimate control of the Justice Department and executive branch.

His lawyers have repeatedly insisted that it's beyond dispute that a sitting president cannot be criminally prosecuted, while Trump tweeted Monday that he has the "absolute right" to pardon himself.

As Mueller's investigation moves forward, courts may have to confront questions with minimal if any historical precedent.

Those include whether a president can be forced to answer questions from prosecutors, whether it's possible for a commander-in-chief to criminally interfere in investigations and whether a president's broad pardon power can be deployed for corrupt purposes.

Mueller is investigating whether Trump associates coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump took steps to shut down that investigation through actions including the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Though Trump insists he did nothing wrong, the statements from him and his lawyers, including the January memo to Mueller, make clear how much of their defense revolves around establishing that he was constitutionally empowered to take the actions he took that are now under investigation.

The defense argument suggests that protocols meant to protect against abuses of power are merely norms the American public has come to expect, rather than laws binding upon a president.

There's some historical precedent for the court clash that could be instigated by the Trump investigation, but in many ways the arguments remain unsettled and tested.

The Supreme Court has never definitively ruled on the question of whether a president could be forced to testify, though the justices in 1974 did rule that President Richard Nixon had to turn over recordings and documents that had been subpoenaed.

TWITTER @RealDonaldTrump

Internet - 4 June 2018

1. Donald Trump tweet reading (English) "As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!"

2. Donald Trump tweet reading (English) "The appointment of the Special Counsel is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Despite that, we play the game because I, unlike the Democrats, have done nothing wrong!"

ASSOCIATED PRESS

3. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So President Donald Trump tweeted this morning that he has the absolute power to pardon himself if he wants to, though he quickly added that he has no intention of doing so because he's done nothing wrong."

POOL

Washington - 1 June 2018

4. Trump walking toward camera

ASSOCIATED PRESS

5. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So what the president is getting at is actually something that has been historically untested, so nobody actually really knows whether it is true or not if the president can pardon himself because there's never been a Supreme Court that's weighed in on the opinion because frankly no president has ever thought to try to pardon himself or been in the position where they were going to do that. So, we're getting into unchartered territory to the extend that we're talking about this is a reasonable possibility. It's never reached the Supreme Court. I would however note that there is a Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion from 1974 that suggests the president cannot act as his or her own judge. And so therefore would mitigate against pardoning himself or herself."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 1 June 2018

6. Trump walking on White House lawn

ASSOCIATED PRESS

7. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So what we're seeing from the series of public statements and tweets both from the president and his lawyers are really expansive visions of constitutional presidential authority and power. And so we are realizing that the defense for the president in the Mueller investigation is not so much a factual defense about what I did or didn't do as much as as I am president and therefore I am entitled to carry out the very acts that you're now investigating me for and so if I want to fire the FBI director, I can. If I want to ask the FBI director to shut down a particular investigation. I can. I'm the president. I control the executive branch. And so we are now getting into fairly untested arguments about the scope of the constitutional authorities vested in the president."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 13 June 2013

8. Robert Mueller testifies on Capitol Hill

ASSOCIATED PRESS

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So a lot's going to depend on whether the president consents to an interview. So if he agrees to an interview, that would sort of seem to suggest there won't be a hugely drawn out court fight. If he rejects the interview request formally and then Mueller chooses to subpoena, him which is not something that we're aware that he's going to do. But should he subpoena him, we will anticipate a very significant court fight, potentially up to the Supreme Court that will really test some of these issues that we're talking about, whether the president can be subpoenaed for his testimony, whether he could be compelled to speak to investigators. These are really significant issues that suggest that a big court fight could be ahead."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Beijing - 13 June 2013

10. Mueller at news conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

11. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"I guess what's really interesting to me, at least, is how much of this is truly unknown. So you have legal experts and academics on one side of the spectrum who say this can never happen. You have others who say, 'well actually, technically when you look at the Constitution it doesn't preclude the types of behaviors or responses that the president's talking about.' So to the extent that we are moving into areas that we've never been before. I think there's going to be an opportunity to create new law and there's not going to be much to look at that guides us in terms of this is the one true right answer. So it's sort of fascinating in that sense."

POOL

Joint Base Andrews - 31 May 2018

12. Trump walking up steps to Air Force One

Seeking a bipartisan compromise to avoid a government shutdown, President Donald Trump suggested on January 9th 2018 that an immigration deal could be reached in two phases - first by addressing young immigrants and border security with what he called a "bill of love," then by making comprehensive changes that have long eluded Congress.

Trump held a lengthy meeting with Republican and Democratic lawmakers seeking a solution for hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

In 2017 Trump ended the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shielded more than 700,000 people from deportation and gave then the right to work legally in the country. He gave Congress until March to find a fix.

The president, congressional Republicans and Democrats expressed optimism for a deal just 10 days before a government shutdown deadline. Trump expressed a willingness to be flexible in finding an agreement.

Trump told the bipartisan group of 20 lawmakers that if they reach a deal, he will sign it.

A group of journalists observed the meandering meeting for an extraordinary length of time - about 55 minutes - that involved Trump seeking input from Democrats and Republicans alike in a freewheeling exchange on the contentious issue.

The president said he would insist on construction of a border security wall as part of an agreement involving young immigrants, but he said Congress could then pursue a comprehensive immigration overhaul in the second phase.

House Republicans said they planned to soon introduce legislation to address border security and the young immigrants. Trump said, "it should be a bill of love."

***

President Donald Trump denied January 12th via Twitter that he said anything "derogatory about Haitians" during an immigration meeting at the White House on Thursday, as the country and the world continued to express outrage over his reported comments.

Trump was in a closed meeting with members of Congress to discuss immigration on January 11th when he reportedly questioned why the U.S. would accept more people from Haiti and "shithole countries" in Africa, rather than places like Norway.

At first the White House did not deny that the remark was made. On Friday the president tweeted that his language was "tough" but insisted he did not say anything derogatory about Haitians aside from noting it's a poor country.

Associated Press White House reporter Jonathan Lemire said no one at the White House denied "that he used these vulgar terms to describe these immigrants."

on January 12th Trump took to Twitter to say the language he used at the meeting "was tough," but insisted the words being reported "was not the language used."

He also denied saying "anything derogatory about Haitians other than" that Haiti is "a very poor and troubled country."

***

After President Trump made disparaging remarks about immigrants, some members of the Haitian communities in New York and Florida said they were offended and believed his comments were racist.

President Donald Trump on January 12th questioned why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from "shithole countries" after senators discussed revamping rules affecting those from Africa and Haiti, according to people briefed on the conversation.

Haitians in New York and South Florida reacted negatively to the remarks.

"His comment is divisive. It's un-American. It's extremely offensive. I was reading the Daily News earlier this morning. Actually they could not have said it any better," said Gerald Cajust, referring to a crude depiction of the President on the front page of the New York Daily News.

In North Miami Beach, Florida, hosts at a Haitian-American radio studio, said although they were disappointed in Trump's comments, they believed Haitian leaders were also to blame for the country's economic situation.

Fabiola Charles, a Haitian radio personality with WSRF AM, said "we're looking at ourselves as well and saying you know what, if we took time to actually take care of our people, the president wouldn't have to say something like this about us. So, we also put the blame on us."

***

US President Donald Trump said on January 14th he is not a racist, just days after making controversial comments about Haiti and African countries.

Trump has been accused of using a vulgar word to describe African countries during an Oval Office meeting the previous week with a bipartisan group of six senators.

People briefed on the conversation say that during the meeting the president also questioned the need to admit more Haitians to the US.

The individuals spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to describe the meeting publicly.

Trump addressed the issue briefly on Sunday as he arrived for dinner at one of his Florida golf clubs with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California.

Asked what he thinks about people who think he's racist, Trump said: "I am not a racist". He told reporters: "I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed. That I can tell you."

He also praised authorities in Hawaii for taking responsibility for the blunder that caused more than a million people to fear that they were about to be struck by a nuclear missile.

***

Haitians showed their anger over vulgar comments made against their country and Africa by US President Donald Trump with a protest January 18th outside the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince.

Demonstrators gathered outside the gates of the embassy complex chanting slogans and waving signs denouncing Trump over his remarks and a move to end a program that gave temporary legal status to thousands of Haitians in the US.

Signs and Creole chants by the protesters criticised remarks by the president last week in which he is said to have profanely disparaged African countries and asked why the US would want more Haitians.

The protest by fewer than 100 demonstrators was peaceful and ended without incident.

Another demonstration was planned for next week.

The Haitian government said it was shocked by the remarks, which came on the eve of the anniversary of the country's devastating January 2010 earthquake.

The Trump administration has said that about 60,000 Haitians who have been allowed to stay and work in the US since the earthquake must leave the country in July 2019.

***

A former top adviser to President Donald Trump's election campaign pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and false statements charges February 23rd in the special counsel's Russia investigation.

The plea by Rick Gates is a strong indication that he is planning to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation as it continues to probe the Trump campaign, Russian election interference and Gates' longtime business associate, Paul Manafort.

Gates, 45, of Richmond, Virginia, appeared at the federal courthouse in Washington for his plea agreement hearing.

A court filing shows Gates has agreed to plead to charges accusing him of conspiring against the U.S. government related to fraud and unregistered foreign lobbying as well as lying to federal authorities in a recent interview.

Gates' decision to admit to the crimes comes a day after a federal grand jury in Virginia returned a 32-count indictment against him and Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, accusing them of tax evasion and bank fraud.

The indictment in Virginia was the second round of charges against Gates and against Manafort, who has denied any wrongdoing. The two men were initially charged last October with unregistered lobbying and conspiring to launder millions of dollars they earned while working on behalf of a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party.

Gates' decision marks the fifth publicly known guilty plea in the special counsel probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin during the 2016 campaign.

***

America's top diplomat is one of any White House's highest-level cabinet members, often seated at the right hand of the president.

As a newcomer to Washington politics, former Exxon Mobile CEO Rex Tillerson was tasked with steering the ship of state with no foreign policy experience and needed to navigate a turbulent, frequently contradictory White House.

As he stepped into the State Department for the first time, Secretary of State Tillerson appealed for unity.

"I know this was a hotly-contested election and we do not all feel the same way about the outcome, " he said, adding "we cannot let our personal convictions overwhelm our ability to work as one team."

But as Tillerson neared the six-month mark on the job, he was forced to knock down a flurry of speculation that he was unhappy and may quit.

At the time, Washington was buzzing with rumors that he would leave due to frustration with the White House.

In his first appearance in the State Department briefing room, Tillerson reiterated that he had a good relationship with the president.

While Tillerson was redefining foreign strategy under the Trump administration's overarching police of "America First", his efforts to craft coherent policy were frequently upended by a tweeting boss.

By October 2017, Tillerson was forced in an unscheduled news conference held at the State Department to defend remarks he made in the Pentagon earlier that President Trump was, "a moron."

In response, Trump said in an interview published in Forbes magazine that if Rex Tillerson did call him a moron, the two should "compare IQ tests."

The White House later said that Trump was joking when he appeared to question his secretary of state's intelligence.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that the president "never implied that the secretary of state was not incredibly intelligent."

She says: "He made a joke, no more than that."

From the start of his tenure, Tillerson's selection raised potential conflict-of-interest issues, as Exxon's business interests around the globe, included Russia.

As an oil executive, Tillerson had argued against sanctions that the U.S. and European allies imposed on Russia after it annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

***

President Donald Trump says he has "total confidence" in Mike Pompeo, his new pick for Secretary of State.

Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on March 13th, saying he would nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him.

It's a major staff reshuffle just as Trump dives into high-stakes talks with North Korea.

Trump announced the change in a tweet early on March 13th just four hours after Tillerson returned to Washington from a trip to Africa.

He stopped to take questions from reporters at the South Lawn of the White House about his decision to oust Tillerson and replace him with Pompeo.

Trump said he and Tillerson "disagreed on things" like the Iran deal.

"We were not really thinking the same," Trump said about Tillerson. "With Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process. I think it's going to go very well."

***

CBS says it will air its interview with porn actress Stormy Daniels on March 25th's episode of "60 Minutes."

Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she had sex with Donald Trump before he became president. She has been trying to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement she signed days before the 2016 presidential election so she can discuss her relationship with Trump, which she said began in 2006 and continued for about a year.

CNN anchor and "60 Minutes" correspondent Anderson Cooper recorded the interview with Clifford earlier this month.

Clifford's attorney, Michael Avenatti, told The Associated Press on March 21st that more details of the affair would come out on "60 Minutes," and said his office was checking out similar claims from six women who had come forward.

"This is about this woman wanting to be able to tell her story to the American people, tell her version of the facts" said Avenatti.

00:00:00

Trump wants immigration deal to be 'bill of love'

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 9 January 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

" This should be a bill of love, truly it should be a bill of love. And we can do that. But it also has to be a bill where we're able to secure our border. Drugs are pouring into our country at a record pace. "

00:13:18

Trump Pushes Back on Vulgar Comments About Haiti

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Port au Prince, Haiti - 21 November, 2017

2. Shots of people walking, traffic in Haitian street

Johannesburg - 12 January 2018

3. Shot of people walking on the street in Johannesburg

00:23:03

Haitians In US offended by comments attributed to Trump

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - January 12, 2018

4. Wide of Haitian American advocacy group storefront

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Herold Dasque, Haitian Americans United for Progress

"It's beyond racism. Of course he's a racist. He's going to say 'no I'm not racist.' What kind of statement is that? 'I don't need Haitians.' Economically they are the one working in the garden. "

6. Interior of barber shop

00:40:21

President Trump: "I'm Not a Racist"

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POOL

West Palm Beach - 14 January 2018

++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"No, no, I'm not a racist. I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed, that I can tell you."

00:47:21

Protesters in Haiti condemn Trump remarks

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Port-au-Prince - 18 January 2018

8. People protesting vulgar comments on Haiti and Africa by US President Donald Trump outside US embassy

9. Sign reading (English) "The U.S. has always been racist! Trump just said it out loud"

10. People holding signs during protest, one reading (English) "Donald Trump's racism is the true face of U.S. foreign policy."

00:57:20

Ex-Trump Aide Pleads Guilty in Russia Probe

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 February 2018

11. Wide shot of Rick Gates walking into US District Court

12. STILL PHOTO of Gates walking into court

13. Rick Gates and attorney walking out of court and getting into vehicle

01:10:17

Rex Tillerson: Businessman turned Trump diplomat out at the White House

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Various - Various

Washington, D.C. - 31 July 2017

14. Various, Cabinet Room meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seated right of President Donald Trump

Washington, D.C. - 1 February 2017

15. Mid, Rex Tillerson being sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence

01:34:09

Trump: Pompeo Will be a Great Secretary of State

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ASSOCIATED PRESS, POOL

Washington - 13 March 2018

16. President Donald Trump stops to speak with reporters on White House South Lawn

17. SOUNDBITE: (English) President Donald Trump:

"I've worked with Mike Pompeo now for quite some time -- tremendous energy, tremendous intellect. We're always on the same wavelength.

18. Wide of Trump

19. SOUNDBITE: (English) President Donald Trump:

"Rex and I've been talking about this for a long time. We've got a long actually quite well but we disagreed on things. When you look at the Iran deal: I think it's terrible. I guess he thought it was OK.

02:00:11

Lawyer: Trump should take Stormy Daniels very seriously

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Various - 19/21 March 2018/FILE

FILE: Los Angeles - 11 February 2007

20. STILL: Stormy Daniels

FILE: New Orleans, Louisiana - 6 May 2009

21. STILL of Stormy Daniels

22. SOUNDBITE (English): Michael Avenatti, Attorney for Stormy Daniels

"I don't know how serious they are taking us at this point. I think they're probably taking us more seriously today than they were a couple weeks ago. I'll say that. I'll say that they should be taking us very seriously."